IPOH, Sept 4 — Perak Mentri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu is unperturbed by Gagasan Melayu Perak’s (GMP) threat to take the state government to court if it approves freehold titles as promised in Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto.

Ahmad Faizal said the non-governmental organisation can sue the state government and he will leave it to the judiciary to decide.

“They can take us to court and court can decide. No problem,” he told reporters today after receiving Rural Development Minister Rina Harun at his office here.

GMP president Datuk Mohamed Razali Khalid had yesterday said his group had wanted to seek a High Court declaration that the move was unconstitutional when the former Pakatan Rakyat state government gave freehold titles to 11 recipients in Gerik in 2008.

He said the move was, however, dropped as Barisan Nasional, which took over the state in 2009, stopped giving freehold titles.

Ahmad Faizal added that his office will schedule an appropriate time for the workshop to look into the issuance of land titles.

“Discussions among my colleagues in the state executive council are still ongoing,” he added.

On August 13, Ahmad Faizal, in his winding up during the state assembly sitting, said it was against the Federal Constitution to bestow permanent titles to new villages.

He cited a National Land Council (NLC) decision in 1988 to double the leasehold period from 30 to 60 years to support this claim.

Ahmad Faizal also said that any matter regarding the freehold title would be referred to the NLC to be discussed.

However, one of his excos, constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari, disputed this and said there are no such restrictions in the Federal Constitution.

This prompted Ahmad Faizal to suggest the special workshop to determine the best ways to implement the PH manifesto in Perak, including the issuance of land titles.

https://www.malaymail.com/s/1669188/go-ahead-and-sue-perak-mb-tells-ngo-after-threat-over-freehold-titles